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Western North Carolina The Mountain Region including Asheville
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Old 02-21-2011, 06:53 PM
 
7 posts, read 15,683 times
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I've read several of the threads on Asheville, but they've left me confused and concerned. I have wanted to move to Asheville for a while, but now I'm wondering if it's worth the move. I love the outdoors, which is my main pull to Asheville; I want to be close to the mountains, but I still want to be in a small to mid-sized city. I am very liberal socially, so I am not concerned so much about the population. My main concerns are job prospects and the cost of living.

I've heard it is difficult to get a job in Asheville, but most people are talking about business jobs. Anyone know what the market is like for teachers in Asheville? Also, can anyone give me information about the school system?

Finally, will the cost of living be overwhelming on a teacher's salary? I don't do a lot of fancy eating out; I prefer cooking at home and doing free things like hiking and canoeing. I will still, however, be paying for rent and utilities, and gas.

I would be extremely grateful for any information you can provide! Thank you a million times!
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Old 02-21-2011, 07:05 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
10,728 posts, read 22,756,587 times
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Everything you describe does seem to point to Asheville, though I can't speak for the teaching job prospects (NC is in a $3.7 Billion deficit and from top to bottom, positions paid by public money are going to be cut). You might start with the Buncombe county schools site (http://www.buncombe.k12.nc.us/buncombe/site/default.asp - broken link), at least.
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Old 02-21-2011, 07:22 PM
 
19 posts, read 35,267 times
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I am a teacher in NC with 8 yrs. experience and a Master's degree and I couldn't afford to live alone in Asheville. NC teachers haven't had a raise in 3 years and we have been told recently that we most likely won't get one for at least 3 more years. The state is actually discussing a pay cut for teachers for next year. Personally, I would not encourage teachers to move anywhere in NC. It's that bad.
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Old 02-21-2011, 07:57 PM
 
112 posts, read 316,511 times
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I have a first cousin that graduated from Western Carolina University last year with an elementary education degree. When she was in school she did her internship at Bethel Elementary in Canton. When she graduated from college she sent out her resume to every school board in in every county in the mtns. She only got one interview & it was at Bethel elementary where she interned.

They had a 2nd grade teacher who was retiring, she was told that 300 people applied for that position & the only reason she got it above any of the others was #1 she interned there so the principle was already familiar with her, when she interned it was for 1st grade so since she was applying for a 2nd grade position, most students in her class would have had her the year before. #2 reason was because she received the NC Teaching Fellows award when she finished High School, which requires her to teach in the state of NC for 4 years otherwise she has to return the money she was awarded for her college education. The school likes to help those who are already here in the state as apposed to hiring someone who wants to or just recently move to the state.

She now has found out that the county is cutting back on it teachers, so she may be one that gets cut. Actually it is state wide that teachers are getting pay cuts & lay offs. For every opening out there, there is an average of 250 to 300 people applying for that position. When it comes to the teaching field, I hate to tell you but the school boards prefer to hire someone who is already a resident in this state even if it is someone straight out of college in the state, especially if they have the Teaching Fellows award. No offense but your chance of getting hired in this state any time soon is slim to none because you are intentionally moving to a state that has more people applying for teaching jobs than there actually are teaching jobs. The only way you would get hired is if you are the only applicant or you were willing to take less money than any one else.

Last I heard the starting pay for elementary teachers in this area is $25,000 a year.

The typical rent around here is around $800 a month for a 600 sq ft 1 bedroom apartment. If you do the math you will see that it would be very difficult to make it here.
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Old 02-21-2011, 09:52 PM
 
16,294 posts, read 28,453,175 times
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Though the final state budget is not yet a done deal, I suspect that all school systems in NC will not be hiring but laying teachers off.
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Old 02-22-2011, 07:27 AM
 
1,530 posts, read 3,869,737 times
Reputation: 867
it's not just NC, it's everywhere.
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